Travel Travel Travel

 Campinas, Brazil (where I went in April for the AASSA international educator's conference-as a presenter)

 El Yaque Beach on Margarita Island...where I spent Spring Break...#1 kite board and wind surf beach in the world.

A day on my neighbor's yacht with fellow teacher/friend. It was paradise touring through all the islands of Mochima National Park, swimming, eating fresh fish delivered right to the boat.









Since my trip to Brazil, things have been a blur. I was back for two weeks before I took off again for 10 days in Campinas, Brazil. I traveled there with 7 co-workers and met up with over 800 educators and leaders from all over South America. I presented a session about "21st century classroom and school cultures" that was extremely well attended. Out of that experience, I launched my professional blog www.disruptiveforce.net --please take a look at it and even follow me if the topics interest you. It was a very rewarding trip professionally. Campinas, as a city, was fun to visit because it is so well kept, modern, safe, and diverse. I did have a REAL Brazilian BarBque meat fest. AMAZING.

The weekend after my return, my neighbor, who lives and works in Caracas and only comes here for vacation, was in town and offered my co-worker/friend and I a day on his yacht. He didn't need to ask twice. We left around 10 AM and did not return until 7 PM. It was amazing to go to deserted beaches on islands in the national park, tour islands I have never seen, and even eat a delicious meal of fresh red snapper, cole slaw and tostones delivered by boat right to the yacht. Those are the kinds of days that will define my time here in Venezuela.

So, two weeks after returning from Brazil, it was spring break. Since I didn't need to leave the country to renew my visa, I merely opted for a few days at El Yaque Beach on the island of Margarita. It is a $25, 17 minute flight for me. I stayed at a hotel that is a hang out for international kite boarders. There wasn't too much wind the days that I was there so I had fun getting know everyone. We would all sit on the deck with our computers and email/facebook together.  Days were lazy-lounging on the deck or the beach; nights were fun-DJ's and live music up and down the beach with amazing fresh seafood served on tablese in the sand. Having a full or almost full moon all week was a bonus to the whole experience. I was sad to leave after my five days were finished.

Now, I have 39 days until I leave Venezuela for good. I have started packing and hope to only have 4 suitcases to take to Colombia on my way home. There is a pile of stuff that I am not taking with me so I plan to have a big "give it away" party before I go. I would like to get back to Margarita one more time, hope to go on one more yacht trip with my neighbor, have to assist in hosting our school accreditation team, and need to attend graduation plus a staff good bye party...all in the next five weekends. I have no regrets about coming here....nor about leaving at this time. It has all worked out just perfectly.

The summer ahead is CRAZY-here is my OFFICIAL plan (flights are booked!).
Leave Venezuela for Bogota, Colombia June 2-9 (drop off bags, see my apt, meet some co-workers, play surrogate auntie for a long weekend so my friends can have an anniversary escape).
Denver, CO area June 9-12 (to get more pages in my passport, apostolle some papers, send my Colombia visa paperwork, see friends and family)
Steamboat Springs, CO area June 13-July 6 (hanging with family and friends-and getting some work done at my favorite table in the library overlooking the Yampa River),
Central Iowa July 6-July 11 (family time),
Malibu, CA July 11-17  (beginning my Masters in Learning Technologies at Pepperdine Univ.)
LA, CA July 17-19 (relaxing with an old friend or two),
Atlanta, GA July 19-25 (friends, packing, friends),
Leave for Colombia....JULY 25!!...for my next adventure in teaching.

If I am not going to be near you-I hope to visit different places next summer, so hang on. For those who are going to be near me during any of those dates....GET IN TOUCH! Let's get together.

My first imovie/youtube video

Salvador Brazil and Carnival
(click on the above link)
I am hooked now! This attempt is very "simple" compared to what is possible on imovie. I can't wait to make more. ENJOY my first effort! Click on the link above to go to youtube and watch it.

It always sneaks up on me....

So today I had no plans at all. In fact, I was the last guest in the posada to eat breakfast at a shocking 9:30 AM. It seems all the tourists were out following their maps as I lounged in bed and took my time eating my eggs. By the time I made it out the door, I still had no plans. As I slipped into the streets, I carried my bag in case I bought something and a book from the posada shelves since my Kindle was charging.

I wandered into the old town, stopping into a few "tour agencies" to see if anything interested me...."african religious ceremonies", "aerial tour of the city", and "speed boat rides" beckoned from the brochures but really held no appeal. So I wandered on until I found a quiet cafe'. I sat there for some time reviewing the photos I had taken during my stroll that morning. I was shocked to see that almost all of them were of windows or doors. HHhhhmmm.... I am not really one to analyze my life much (perhaps I should start-might be easier that way, huh?), but windows and doors? Really? No flowers and butterflies. No clouds and beaches. No children and old folks....just windows and doors.

      I left the subject to simmer a bit as I continued my stroll through the hills and cobblestones of the historic district. I bought some fabric to make throw pillows for my place in Bogota and bought myself a clunky, cool brushed silver ring. I have never worn a ring like this one and it makes me smile when I look at it on the middle finger of my right hand. It is smart and sofisticated.

I returned to the posada to hide out during the hottest hours of the day. Every day here I have had to shower and change clothes at least twice per day due to the heat and humidity. During my down time today is when the windows and doors thing came into focus.

Of course....windows and doors are the places where one world meets the next. They can be closed, barred, decorated, inviting, ominous, intimidating, open, and beautiful among many others. I find windows and doors to be the most fascinating and beautiful things (even the barred and closed ones). So, it hit me....they represent transitions to me; the moving from one space to the next. Being in Salvador reminded me of West Africa. It didn't make me miss it; just appreciate the richness that time brought to my life. It also reminded me that I have conquered many transitions in my life.

  Tonight at sundown, as I walked to a five star restaurant nestled into the hillside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean (and the shipping yard and docked cruise ships), it snuck up on me. I am moving through another door. I have been keeping my back to that door since November but it is finally time to face it and open it; to let the two worlds begin to mingle.                                                        
I am moving to Bogota in 90 days. It is a big city with a huge expatriate population. There are museums, symphonies, ballet, theatre, and an English speaking church. What a change that will be for me.

On top of that, I have been accepted to both Columbia's MA in Teaching English program and Pepperdine's MA in Learning Technologies program. The Columbia program would be the "easy" option for me. Yet, I have chosen to enroll in the Pepperdine program. I begin in July. It is "low residency" which means I spend time on campus in the summers and for a week in January but the rest is done via internet. Learning technologies are the future of education and I am fascinated by the ways they can be used in teaching/learning. I am prepared to be challenged. (Ask my son, I was afraid of technology just 3 years ago!).

....a window....several doors....aren't they beautiful?

New friends, big party, sore feet....

Top photo: a fraction of the million or so people who showed up for Carnival last night.
Middle photo: A true African lunch-YUM (even made with real palm oil!)
Bottom photo: beautiful historic Salvador-being renewed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage sight


Yesterday at breakfast I met two teachers from an international school here in Brazil (the one where I will be for the conference in three weeks). My little posada only has five rooms and they are in the room next to mine. YAY. They invited me to tag along for their adventures all day. Along the way I met another teacher from that school and two Australian teachers from Sao Paulo. We went to the market, explored the historic district and ended up eating a late lunch at an alley cafe' while listening to drummers, watching dancing in the street, and gawking at the people passing by in their Carnival finery.

For my nighttime adventure, I met up with ANOTHER American woman staying at my posada (that makes 3 out of 5 rooms filled with single American women-what are the chances?). We had both purchased a ticket to watch the parade from a "private"balcony. We had to wear a special peach t-shirt for this honor (see top photo to see how "special" we really were-LOL). Well, Carnival in Baha turns out to be a lollapalooza type of band party only the bands come to you. They travel on trucks down the road stopping for mini concerts along the way. The prestige of the "balcony area" they are in front of, detetermines how long they stop. Our balcony was the last and most prestigious so we got 45 min. shows from each. There were 40 groups/singers including Will.I.Am...from 3 PM until 5 AM. We stayed from 6-10 and called it a night. WOW...

We ended up back in the historic district where a more low key but still amazing celebration was taking place. Along with all the beautiful hippies and locals, we enjoyed the reggae and samba shows until 1 AM. Jane, my new friend who experienced all this with me, is a 30+ something artist from NYC on a month long volunteering vacation. Her boldness with everyone and willingness to get lost, be late, and have people laugh at her mixed up attempts to speak Portuguese, inspired me.

Today, taking a cue from Jane, I walked around the historic district and market by myself . I filled my bag with cool things for my new apartment and gifts for loved ones. I was bold-trying out some Portuguese and taking pictures everywhere I went. One of my favorite spots I found is the only African Catholic Church in South America. They even dance the Samba during services (missed that part, though).

What was I thinking? Last night I was thinking that I was glad I "did Carnival" but I was happy to leave by 10 PM. I didn't know the singers or understand the songs. My feet are killing me but the two hill hike into the historic district is worth the pain. I am enjoying my meals with my Kindle as entertainment. I am hoping I have room to take home the things I bought (not a lot, just bulky). I am nosy and wonder what is up with the "family life" of the host of my posada. I enjoy being back in a place where I can walk to dinner or hear live music or take an evening stroll just for fun. This vacation is gong by too quickly. I am wishing I could have booked the ticket to Argentina in April.

I might be too old for this....

Three photos of my day.....the funniest sign I have ever seen in a airport bathroom...my room at the posada (bed and breakfast)....sights from my wandering "off path" today (many of the houses have those "eye-shaped" windows in them....weird).

OK, boarded the flight last night at 9 PM. With a time change of 2 1/2 hours forward, I arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil at 4 AM. WOOT WOOT. This airport in one of the largest and most modern cities of the world was a loose maze of cement tunnels and steel beams-disappointing. I drank TWO double expressos and read Gone With the Wind until my next flight at 7:30. The only problem was that in the domestic flight wing, there were just a series of doors and a woman incessantly yelling out flight numbers and city names and gate numbers IN PORTUGUESE, rather than a board with flights and gates listed. I muddled through and made it on the plane only to find out my seat was double booked. The exit row was open but for some reason I didn't look "responsible" enough to sit there so I was standing in the aisles with my two carry-ons in hand, waiting to be told where to sit until we LITERALLY were taxi-ing to the runway.

The Salvador airport is tiny and I was out in 7 minutes. There are women walking around in costumes looking like Mammy from Gone With the Wind, greeting people and answering questions. I guess they embrace that "heritage" here. It just didn't feel right to me for some reason, to take their picture though. On the flight in and during the taxi ride I decided that Salvador is like a collision of Savannah, GA and any coastal city in West Africa with parts of each sprinkled together. The red clay and coastal sand fight for dominance on the earth and the houses speak of a rich heritage of colonial rule, modern visions, and African roots. The best part is the faces though....there is no "majority" here. Every shape, color and culture is represented in each glance through the crowd. Sigh....I have missed that.

My posada is gorgeous. It is owned by a Brazilian woman and her French husband. They live here along with their two teenage sons. They only speak Portuguese and French, so, once again, my French is saving me. I am finding Portuguese very frustrating. It is more of a mix of Italian and German so I understand little to nothing and feel like a mute. Despite that, I did shower and go on a treck today. I made one wrong turn, and instead of ending up in the historical district (a 15 min walk), I ended up a 15 min. walk into the not so well kept district-a bit scary. There are SO MANY analogies about wrong turns in life and where you end up....you can make them. Suffice to say, after 32 hours of almost no sleep and only two double expressos in my stomach, I was desperate to get food. It took me almost 2 hours to "find" my posada again and then retrace my steps to the turn I should have originally taken.

When I finally found my path, I stopped at the first little mom/pop restaurant I found. WELL, it happened to be owned by a family of descendants from West Africa and the dishes all had West African flavors. SCORE. I had a meat dish with pounded cassava root-YUMMINESS! I will probably go back several times to taste more. The owner sat at a table next to me talking to an old man in an African langauge that had several familiar phrases....my fav. was the repetition of wooooo(with an intonation that goes from low to high). Hadn't heard that in so long...my ears and tummy were happy. (Although, they only brought me a spoon to eat with-guess they thought my hands would work -and I had a heck of a time asking for a fork.)

After that late lunch, my feet were killing me from my wanderings on the hillside. I was drenched in sweat (it is about 95 degrees and WET with humidity) and exhausted so I collapsed into bed for a 3 hour nap. I woke up thinking about a walk to find  some dinner but decided to stay in for the night rather than get lost again-only this time, in the dark. (Again, life analogy...take it and run ..).

What was I thinking? On my flights I was thinking about how uncomfortable it is to be tall in that cramped space. When I arrived in Salvador and realized how few people speak English, I was thinking that it was going to be a very challenging week getting around. I was also thinking how much I love beach culture but hate the heat and humidity (as my clothes were soaked with sweat and sticking to me). I was nervous today when I was in the wrong neighborhood. I kept changing sides of the street and using my peripheral vision to watch people. After my nap, I was thinking that I had had enough for the past 48 hours but was guilt tripping myself for not maximizing every minute to explore Salvador. An early wake up and walk plan won out over a night time adventure this time. Tomorrow I head to the parades-I bought a ticket to a private viewing area because I was thinking I would be too overwhelmed in the crowd. I am still nervous though-getting taxis, finding the location, getting food and drink, not getting pick-pocketed....

I just might too old for this....=)

Oh, why can't it be easy?

As they say, ..."the best laid plans"....

Well, in OCTOBER I booked these flights and hotels through a travel agent here in VZ (my current home that I afffectionately call OZ). This morning, I woke up at my hotel in Caracas at 5AM, and rushed to the airport to catch my 9 AM flight. I had a moment of "oh no, what if my flight was canceled or is at a different time"...but told myself I was just being jaded about OZ and plus that wouldn't happen because someone from the travel agency would have contacted me. When I entered the international terminal it was very empty. Each sky cap who asked me where I was going, frowned and said "tonight?" when I told them I was headed to Argentina. I walked end to end in the termincal and found no check in for my airline-TAM. Plus, the "departures" board did not have a single flight leaving to anywhere in Brazil between 6 AM and 3 PM today. OK, NOW I was worried.

Thankfully, in the airport there is an office of the travel agency that I used to book my flights. I went in and they told me that my flight was changed to 8:30 PM (which coincidentally is the time my connection to Salvador leaves from Sao Paulo). I really wanted to cry when they told me I would arrive in Sao Paulo at 4:30 AM and my "new" flight to Salvador would be at 8:30 PM-tomorrow. I did point out that I have had these tickets since OCTOBER and the travel agent has my email, phone number, and is in close contact with my school...and no one bothered to tell me of these changes. After 2 hours in the office and a change on EVERY ONE of my flights-I fly all night tonight and get to Salvador at 10 tomorrow AM. And, I have to leave Salvador at 7 AM Friday instead of 7 PM (I lose a day). The real kicker is that I only have 90 minutes to connect to my flight back to my "home" here in OZ when I get in on Friday night. I can tell right now that the adventure is NOT EVEN CLOSE to over!

So, I am "back" at my hotel until check out at 12. Then I will lurk around the lobby and the restaurant until 5:30 when I head back to the airport-exactly 12 hours after my first trip to the airport today.....I have 25 hours until I arrive in Salvador at this point. WHEW.... So, aren't you glad you are along for this adventure. I sure know how to do it up right!! =) (yikes!)

Come along for an adventure this week

Grab a drink, think beach, and come along with me this week on my adventure. So many people tell me how much they admire me or how brave they think I am for doing what I do. Well, this week, I am headed to Salvador, Brazil for 6 days smack in the middle of the world's largest Carnival celebration. It really is coincidence that I am going there during Carnival-it happens to be the only break I have from school. The REAL reason I am going is that this historic city on the beach is steeped in West African culture-food, dance, music, traditions. Considering my passion for all things West African, this city immediately became a "must visit" destination for my time in South America.

So, in October, after I turned in my letter of intent not to return to Venezuela next year, and before I knew where my next teaching job would take me, I booked a trip to this magical city on the coast of Northern Brazil. No, I don't know anyone there. Yes, I am going alone. No, I do not speak Portuguese. Now, THAT is an adventure. I have never done this before....traveled alone to a place where I have never been and where I don't know a soul. I have ESPECIALLY never done this to a foreign country whose language I do not know. What was I thinking...??? I assure you I have asked myself this many times in the months between October and now.

Over the next week, I am going to try to update this blog each day-hoping to even include photos and maybe even a video or two. I will tell you about the amazing sights, sounds, smells, tastes I am sure to encounter. BUT, more importantly, I am going to tell you "what was I thinking". You will get a little glimpse into what a chicken I REALLY am...and how I talk myself into all the crazy things I do.

To tell the truth, for the past seven weeks I have been talking myself out of canceling the trip. I had rationalized that losing my deposit on my hotel would be a small loss and figured I could use the airline "credits" next year from Colombia. My shyness coupled by the realization that I would be sharing the city of Salvador with 2,000,000 drunk "friends" made me feel a bit panicked. Obviously, I didn't cancel.

Yesterday, I realized at 9 PM that my yellow fever shot card was locked in the administrative offices of my school. Brazil is a country which rigorously requires official documentation of an up to date yellow fever shot for entry. Luckily the amazing administrative secretary called the guards who went in the office and found it. I drove across town today to pick it up-disaster averted.

Tonight I fly to Caracas to spend the night in order to catch an early AM flight to Brazil. I will fly all day, bouncing around airports, arriving in Salvador near midnight tomorrow night.

What am I thinking, now...I fit everything into a carry-on, yay. I hope my flight tonight is not canceled (very common) and not late (even more common). I like the hotel in Caracas where I will be staying and am looking forward to room service and cable TV =). I have a taxi lined up to take me to the house where I will be staying in Salvador (like a little b and b) so I am not stressed about that. I am worried I don't have enough dollars in cash and hope that I can get money via my credit or debit card without too much of a fee. I feel like I have not done enough research about the city and am overwhelmed by the thought of Carnival taking place there this week. I am thinking a lot about not getting robbed while out and around the city. I am psyching myself up to talk to strangers and make connections....cursing my shyness that makes that so hard to do. Excited?....not yet...just thinking of tackling one challenge at a time-calling a taxi, getting to Caracas, finding the hotel bus, and getting on that first plane tomorrow....THEN, I think I will be more excited than nervous (as I am now).


I hope you come along with me this week.....tell me what you want to know or any questions you have in the comments. I will answer them in my next posts. Let the adventure begin!

A view from where I stand...

The first photo is of the famous "three palm trees" in the lagoon at Canaima (region where Angel falls is located). Closest road to this village is over 100 miles away-you can only get there by small plane. The second is the view of Angel Falls (Paradise Falls from the movie UP) taken out the window of the private 5 seater plane Clark and I were on as we flew over the falls. Then there is Tori in her new house in Steamboat Springs, CO (on New Years Eve-notice the cold weather additions to the typical New Years "little black dress" LOL). And, finally, Clark on the boat the day he earned his Open Water Diver Certification during his visit with me in VZ.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the past few months. Clark joined me in VZ for several adventures over ten days during the week of Thanksgiving. After an epic in the flooded streets of my town that included a flat tire and trying for 90 min. to get a taxi in the pouring rain we enjoyed eating seafood, introducing him to arepas and empanadas, and having long chats on the balcony. He earned his Open Water PADI dive certification here in Mochima National Park and the two of us took a private Cessna plane up to Angel Falls. We hiked in the jungle, road dug out canoes down the rivers, crawled behind raging waterfalls and flew over the tallest waterfall in the world (Angel Falls). Then I visited Atlanta for a week of training seminars for my school (highlighted by being able to hang out with my GA friends during my free time). After returning to VZ just long enough to finish the semester and administer finals, I skipped across the USA for over 3 weeks during my Christmas break. I stopped in Atlanta, saw my cousin in Denver (and got new glasses-she's a great eye Dr.), stayed in Steamboat soaking up tons of family time, and finished my trip in NYC visiting a lifelong teacher friend I met here in VZ last year. Whenever I pause and reflect on the opportunities I have been given, I am very thankful...my life is very very good.

Yet, lurking below the surface there are still simmering realizations that the ebb and flow of my world and the reality of the world of loved ones in the USA is beginning to clash. Below are just a few of the many examples I have encountered these past 18 months.

COMMUNICATION: Here in VZ I rely exclusively on the internet (mostly FB and email, but also Skype) to keep me in the loop with my friends, family, and even co-workers. My daily communication thread is a series of "snippets" with varying send and reply times. I have no sense of urgency about communication. I do have a cell phone but it is rarely charged, or with me. In fact, as of writing this, it still has my US SIM card in it (I have been out of the US for 9 days now) and is out of battery, making it useless to me. Yet, my US based friends and family are used to instant connections-twitter, text message, blackberry internet interface. Many of those people have expressed frustration at their inability to get in touch with me while I travel. I know they think I am avoiding them, yet I merely feel overwhelmed by the burden of communicating within such an "instant connection" framework. It is a clash.

VISITING: I travel to a myriad of fascinating international locales during each of my breaks. Flights are cheap, hotels are cheaper, adventurous destinations abound,...so, I take advantage of those things. Each summer and December so far, though, I have opted to return to visit loved ones in the USA. I plan certain locations as my "central zone" and inform people. I don't have a car (and can't afford to rent for 4-6 weeks a year). I know it is inconvenient to drive to me and work around the schedule of whomever I happen to be staying with. Plus, the mere act of choosing exactly WHO to stay with in any given area can create a load of hard feelings. That is a clash. When I am in a certain area, it is hard for me to call every person who is remotely close to me and ask for them to come see me. I feel presumptuous. Yet, when I wait for people to call me with a plan, I think they feel the same. Also, I have CLOSE friends and family in FL, IN, VA, NC, GA, NY, MA, WI, MN, WA, CA, CO, IA, AL, and AR, (not to mention a dozen countries around the world). In 3-4 weeks there is no way for me to make quality visits to all of these places. No matter what travel agenda I choose, someone feels left out or slighted by their lack of time with me. I leave feeling I can't be too happy about my good memories with who I did get to see, lest those I didn't get to see feel that I am not sad enough about not seeing them. That is a clash.

CONNECTIONS: I miss a lot. I don't have mail service here so I can't even send birthday or Christmas cards. There are events, like my niece winning grand champion at the county fair hog show, that I will never get to see-the fair is in August. Also, I return to the US during times when many people are often MORE busy with seasonal business and community events....or even just with regular family commitments. I am acutely aware that I am asking them to sacrifice to spend time with me. My days off are set by my school, and international travel expenses preclude me being able to take personal days to create long weekends in order to travel to the US outside of my regular breaks. Graduations, weddings (a very dear friend is getting married next Oct. and it is unlikely I can be there), reunions...it is rare when these coincide with my 4-6 weeks per year in the US. Over time, I feel that I am more of an observer than a participant in my old life. I know, this new life is my choice. Yet, it is still a clash. Everyone else didn't chose this but they still have to live with consequences of it.

REALITY: I love my job and am at peace with the life I live. I accept the challenge of overcoming these clashes in years to come as I become more and more aware of what I am up against. Ultimately, I hope that the people close to me can also begin to understand the constraints of my lifestyle so that, with mutual effort, the clashes will be less frequent and less intense. Until then, I am learning more each day about how to be BOTH a gypsy AND a daughter, sister, mom, auntie, friend, cousin, niece, mentor.

Thanks for sticking with me! =)